Igniter for explosives-engines.



No. 69l,56|. Patented Ian. 2|, I902.

' J. T. METCALFE.

IGNITER FUR EXPLOSIVE ENGINES.

(Application filed July 25, 1901.) (No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet l.

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No. 69|,56I. Patented Jan. 2|, I902.

J. T. METCALFE. IGNI'I'ER FOB EXPLOSIVE ENGINES.

(Application filed July 25, 1901.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

WITNESSES UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN TITUS METOALFE, OF QUINCY, PENNSYLVANIA.

IGNITER FOR EXPLOSIVE-ENGIN ES.

SPECIFICATION forming-part of Letters Patent No. 691,561, dated January21, 1902.

Application filed July 25, 1901.

T0 at whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OHN TITUS METCALFE, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of Quincy, in the county of Franklin and State ofPennsylvania, have invented a new and Improved Igniter forExplosive-Engines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

. My invention relates to igniters for exploding the gas in thecylinders of gas and gasolene engines. I V

My invention further relates more particularly to means producing adistinct and positive spark at a certain period of the rotation of themain shaft, this period being governable at will.

The invention consists of novel features and parts and combinations ofthe same, as will be fully described hereinafter and then pointed out inthe claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my device as applied to a gas-engine.Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same, a certain part ofthe cylinlder beingbroken away, so as to exhibit the sparking device proper. Figs. 3 and 4are fragmentary elevations showing some of the same parts as Fig. 1, butin diderent positions. Fig. 5 is a sect-ion on the line 5 5 in Fig. 1looking in the direction of the arrow, certain details being partlybroken away. Fig. 6 is a fragmentary section on the line 6 6 in Fig. 5looking in the direction of the arrow. Fig. 7 is an enlarged section onthe line 7 7 in Fig. 1 looking in the directionof the arrow; and Fig. 8is afragmentary elevation of the sparking device proper, another view ofwhich is shown in Fig. 2. r

Upon the frame 1 of the engine i secured a cylinder 2, having acylinder-head 3, which is provided with a central cup or receptacle 4,integral therewith, and provided with a screw-cap 5, secured thereto bymeans of threads 6. This screw-cap 51s provided with In the space 8 isthe Serial No. 69,712. (No model.)

sparking apparatusproper,which is actuated by the mechanism outside ofthe cylinder. Upon a revoluble shaft 9, which is mounted in a bearing10, there is a revoluble sleeve 11,

provided with a disk 12. By means of heads 13 and 15 a connecting-rod 14connects a crank-pin 13 with the lower end of a rocking lever 16, sothat the revolution of the shaft 9 causes a rocking. of the lever 16.This lever 16 is looselypivoted at its center upon a shaft 24, which hasa slight rocking movement independent of the rocking movement of thelever 16, as will be hereinafter explained. The lever 16 is free to moveupon its shaft independently of its rocking movement. Upon the upper endof the rocking lever is loosely secured, by means of a head 17, a catch18, which moves back and forth as the lever is rocked. Upon the shaft 24is loosely pivoted a heavy arm 19, which is connected with the shaft 24by means of a spiral spring 21. This heavy arm 19 when actuated by thespring acts as a hammer and by the rocking of the lever is pulled ortilted back by means ofthe catch 18 and suddenly released, so as tostrike a blow under tension of the spring. This heavy arm, which I terma hammer, is normally pressed by the spring 21 into engagement with theanvil face or lug 20, which is secured, by means of a bolt 42, upon theshaft 24-that is to say, a member consisting of two spring-arms 41 andthe anvil or lug 2 0 is loosely fitted upon the shaft 24 and tightened,by means of the bolt 42, so as to become relatively fixed to said shaft24, and the hammer, which is'wide at its top, normally engages theanvil-surface mentioned. When the lever rocks, the catch 18 engages thehammer 19, holds the same backward contrary to the tension of the ing ofthe arm 40 causes the catch 18 to rock.

This arm 40 is engaged by a boss 26 upon a head 24, which is integralwith thelower end of the base of the hand-lever 23, as shown in Figs. atand 6, so that when said hand-lever is moved in an arc the boss islikewise moved radially and is made to govern the movements of the catch18that is to say, when the arm 40 engages the boss 26 .in its extremeright-hand position, as shown in Fig. 1, the catch 18 releases thehammer 19 at a slightlydifferent period than would be the case if theboss 26 were in its extreme left-hand position, being moved to the sameby the hand lever 23. It will be observed, therefore, that this boss (bymerely shifting the lever 23 to the right or the left to govern theperiod when the catch 18) will engage and release the hammer 19, theperiod of such engagement and release being relative to the period ofrevolution of the main shaft 9. In other words, the exact moment of thestroke of the hammer relatively to the position of the main shaft 9 canbe regulated within certain limits by adjusting the lever 23 to theright or the left, as desired. Upon the other end of the shaft 24 isrigidly secured an arm 37 of conducting material and provided with aplatinum contact-point 36, which engages a similar platinumcontact-point 35, fixed upon an electrode 31. The points 35 and 36constitute the make-and-break mechanism for producing sparks in thereceptacle 3.

Referring now to the action of the hammer 19 when retracted and releasedby the catch 18, it will be observed that the shaft 24: rocks back andforth, but when released suddenly moves with a snap. This rocking motioncauses the arm 37 to be slowly lowered until the platinum contact-point36 rests upon the platinum contactpoint 35, thereby closing the circuit,and then when the hammer 19 is released and flies downward, striking thelug 20,the arm 24is moved quickly and positively, so as to raise the arm37 and break the contact between the two platinum points. The result isthat the hammer 19 in moving in one direction has a slow motion while inmoving in the opposite direction it has a vigorous snap, and the arm 37is slowly moved until the platinum points are in contact and then isabruptly drawn away, so as to break the contact with a sudden snap. Theobject of this movement is to facilitate the breaking of the contactbetween the points 35 and 36 for the purpose of making the spark abruptand positive in its action. When the spark ignites the gases, anexplosion takes place, as in any other engine, and need not be furtherdescribed.

It is now obvious, since the adjusting-lever 23 can be so used as togovern the period when the spark is made relative to the position of themain shaft, that the spark can be made at any desired point withinreasonable limits relatively to the stroke of the engine. When theadjusting-lever is in the center of the guard 22, the spark is producedwhile the engine is on a dead-center. 1f the lever be moved to theright, as shown in Fig. 1, the spark is produced just before the enginemoves on its dead-center. If the lever be moved to the left, the sparkwill be produced immediately after the engine leaves its deadcenter.This being the case it is obvious that by means of the adjusting-lever23 the explosion can be made to take place just before or just after thedeadcenter is passed and can therefore be made to reverse the directionof the engine. In this connection it should be remembered that the meansfor reversing the direction of the piston in a gas-engine can be verysimple. If the spark be made just before the engine reaches thedead-center, the engine going ahead in the usual direction, the effectwill be a reversal of motion in the engine, whereas if the spark be madejust after the engine passes the dead-center, supposing the engine to bein the usual position going ahead, the effect will be to drive it aheadin the usual manner, so that by merely adjusting the period when thespark is made relatively to the position of the piston as regards thedeadcenter, or, what is substantially the same thing, as regards theposition of the main shaft, the engine can be driven ahead or backward,as desired.

In my device I inclose the contact-points for the sparking apparatusproper in the receptacle shown in Fig. 2, so as to protectthese partsfrom the violence of the eXplosion-that is to say, the gases are ignitedinside of this receptacle, and the local explosion causes the generalexplosion to take place in the cylinder proper, the communication beingestablished through the aperture 7. To be sure, the sparking deviceproper is subject to slight violence of the local explosion in thereceptacle, yet the casing comprising the cap 5 and the wall 1 preventsthe explosien from damaging the parts as much as would be the case ifthey were thoroughly exposed to the cylinder. Besides, by means of thisreceptacle the explosive gases within the narrow space 8 can be muchbetter mixed and otherwise better prepared for explosion than would bethe case if the sparking device were thoroughly exposed within the endof the cylinder.

The electrical connections other than as above described are as follows:The wires 27 28 are connected to any source of electricity, as is usualwith other devices of this kind. These wires are secured by binding-nuts 29 30 upon bolts '29 30. The bolt 30 is secured directly to themetallic disk 25, while the bolt 29 is insulated from this disk by theasbestos packings 31 32 and the insulating-washers 33, which may be ofporcelain. The bolt29 and the shaft 21 are therefore insulated from eachother throughout, except when the arm 37 is lowered so as to makecontact between the platinum points 35 36.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent 1. An igniter for explosive-engines, comprisingan electric circuit provided with sepa- IIC rable contacts for producingsparks, a rocking shaft for actuating one of said contacts, a lugrigidly mounted upon said rocking shaft and provided with an anvil-face,a springdriven hammer loosely mounted upon said rocking shaft and freeto strike said anvilface, a rocking lever loosely journaled on saidrocking shaft, acatch mounted upon said rocking lever for engaging saidhammer, and a movable arm for releasing said catch.

2. An igniter for explosive-engines, comprising an electric circuitprovided with separable contacts for producing sparks, a rocking shaftfor actuating one of said contacts, a lug rigidly mounted upon saidrocking shaft and provided with an anvil-face, a springdriven hammerloosely mounted upon said rocking shaft and free to strike saidanvilface, a rocking lever loosely journaled on said rocking shaft, acatch mounted upon said rocking lever for engaging said hammer, a

movable arm for releasing said catch, and a pivotally-mounted hand-leverprovided with a boss for controlling said arm.

3. An igniter for explosive-engines, comprising an electric circuitprovided with separable contacts for producing sparks, a rocking shaftfor actuating one of said contacts, a lug provided with an anvil-faceand with spring members for engaging a rocking shaft, a spring-drivenhammer for striking said lug, a catch for periodically engaging saidhammer, means for periodically actuating said catch, a movable arm fordisengaging said catch from said hammer, and an adjustinglever mountedupon a pivotal support and provided with a boss disposed eccentricallyto the said pivotal support for the purpose of con-- trolling thedisengagementof said catch from said hammer.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of 7 two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN TITUS METOALFE.

